Packaging device and method of packaging



April 24, 1962 Filed April 2'7, 1959 PACKAGING DEVICE AND METHOD OFPACKAGING J. A. FOSTER, SR, ETAL 6 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR April 24,1962 .1. A. FOSTER, SR, ETAL 3,031,350

PACKAGING DEVICE AND METHOD OF PACKAGING Filed April 27, 1959 6Sheets-Sheet 2 STAT/0N .ZZ

INVENTOR5 Jaflzaa (Zimez; 5/;

BY drZ/wrl? 5443166 Apnl 24, 1962 .1. A. FOSTER, SR, ETAL 3,031,350

PACKAGING .DEVICE AND METHOD OF PACKAGING 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed April2'7, 1959 v. m miiriiliii. 2 A m W A W 1 k h .wfilt 6 n [I7 i A I I?*HHIIHHIIHHHIIIILFA I. II!

BY art/2a -M MA WWW April 24, 1962 J. A. FOSTER, sR., ETAL 3,031,350

PACKAGING DEVICE AND METHOD OF PACKAGING Filed April 27, 1959 eSheets-Sheet 4 JNVENTORS. N Jameadf 051225 Lg BYd/Z/ZUJ fl fiafZe i Aril 24, 1962 J. A. FOSTER, SR, ETAL PACKAGING DEVICE AND METHOD OFPACKAGING 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed April 2'7, 1959 April 24, 1962 J. A.FOSTER, sR.. E.TA L 3,031,350

PACKAGING DEVICE AND METHOD OF PACKAGING Filed April 27, 1959 6Sheets-Shet 6 INVENTOR5 James" dibfiief, 97.

BY LZrZ/zzzrfl Baiiez; M W {M1 United States Patent 3,031,350 kACKAGlNGDEVICE AND METHOD 0F PACKAGING James A. Foster, Sin, and Arthur De VonButler, Elihhart, Ind, assignors to Miles Laboratories, Inc, Elkhart,End, a corporation or llndiana Filed Apr. 27, 1959, Ser. No. 899,012 12Claims. (Cl. 156-60) The present invention relates to the packaging artand more particularly to novel means and methods of providing bottles,vials or other containers with cushioning inserts secured to the bottomwall thereof.

In the packaging of items such as solid pharmaceutical preparationswhich have been compressed into thin, frangible soluble Wafers or discs,it is obviously desirable that they be carefully packed in a containerand in such a way that there will be a minimum of breakage of the wafersduring shipment due to sudden shock, jarring or the like.Conven-tionally such wafers have been loaded into a bottle or othercontainer of cylindrical shape having an internal diameter roughly equalto the diameter of the wafers so that when packed therein, one over theother, the resultant column of wafers will compactly fill the containerand there will be little opportunity for the wafers to break by shiftingwithin the containers.

it also has been proposed to insert a disc-like cushion of foamedplastic of the type as for example known as Styrofoam at each end of thecolumn of wafers as means to absorb sudden shock and thus furtherprotecting the packed frangible wafers against breakage. However, in atleast one method of loading such wafers, the container is rested on itsside in a horizontal position to receive the wafers. In this position,the plastic disc which has been previously inserted into the bottle tolie between the wafers and the bottom wall of the bottle can easily andwill often fall or otherwise be disturbed from its seat against the baseor bottom wall of the container. When this happens, it, of course,interrupts the packaging procedure because the out-of-position cushionwill not properly function in said turned position but also takes upmore than its intended share of the storage area in the container andthe requisite number of wafers cannot be added.

it is therefore a principal object of the present invention to provideconvenient means and method of locating and/or securing such cushions orother inserts into bottles or other containers whereby they will stay inplace against the bottom surface of such containers as when thecontainers are laid on their sides in a horizontal position for fillingwith waters as aforedescribed.

Another object of the invention is to provide commercially practicablemeans and method of securing such cushioning discs of multicellular orfoamed plastic to the bottom wall of a container.

in accomplishing the aforesaid broadly stated objects, further morespecific objects of the invention include provision of a device whichwill both load the containers with cushion discs and will also securethe cushion discs to the bottom wall of said containers, as by priorapplication of a thickness of suitable adhesive to the underside of thecushion discs, and which device will accomplish such acts quickly,conveniently, automatically and in a simple, practical and eflicientmanner.

A still further specific object is to provide a process, and also adevice for carrying out said process, which involves the steps ofcontinuously feeding the cushion discs into a first station, centeringand fixing each of said discs on individual carriers at said station,then carrying said discs to a second station where adhesive can beconveniently applied to their underside, and after the adhesive isapplied carrying them to a third station, there locating theunder-coated disc within bottles continuously fed to said third station,and discharging the bottles at a fourth station ready for filling.

In keeping with the objects of the invention, a device for carrying outthe steps of such a process should be capable of performing such actsquickly, conveniently and in an uncomplicated manner and further shouldhave provision both for controlling the application of the adhesive tothe underside of the discs and for preventing waste and/or mess inconnection therewith.

In accordance therewith, the present invention contemplates a rotatableloading device which includes a plurality of vertically reciprocatingcarrier members arranged about its periphery to travel in a circularpath by continuous rotation of the device and each such carrier membershaving sharpened means on its lower end which may be forced into one ofsuch plastic cushion inserts or discs so as to separate it from a supplythereof, properly center it relative to said carrier member and, as thedevice is rotated, carry the insert or disc past a second station wherethere is located a fount of continuously flowing adhesive, for exampleheated fluid wax and thence to a loading station for insertion into awaiting bottle or container.

The invention further contemplates that at said second station, meansare provided for lowering each insert into the rising fount of adhesivewhen immediately in position thereover and as quickly to raise theinsert out of reach of the adhesive so as to confine the application ofthe adhesive to its bottom surface as well as limiting the amount ofadhesive deposited on each insert.

The invention contemplates that the loading device as it continues torotate will then carry each of the inserts by means of the carriermembers on which they are temporarily mounted, past said adhesiveapplying second station to a third station where each carrier and itsnow adhesive undercoated insert will be aligned with one from a supplyof bottles or other containers fed onto the loading device. At saidstation, the invention contemplates means will act on each of thecarrier members, in succession, so as to lower them a controlleddistance sufficient to carry the inserts through the open mouth of thealigned bottles and to discharge the cushion inserts against the bottomwall of said bottles and then to retract the carrier members, minus thecushion inserts, from the bottles and return them to their originalheight. The speed of the overall operation and the temperature of theheated wax or other adhesive are so related that the adhesive applied tothe bottom of he insert remains in a heated soft stage until the inserthas been discharged from the carrier into engagement with the bottomwall of the bottle whereby upon cooling it will bond the insert to saidbottom wall. Although no part of the present invention, it iscontemplated that on withdrawal of the carriers from the bottles, thesebottles will then be carried by appropriate means to the next operationwhich presumedly will be loading the bottles with the aforementionedfrangible wafers of compressed material.

Therefore a further and broad object of the invention is to provideconveniently operable, non clogging means for dispensing controlledamounts of an adhesive such as paraffin wax which has been heated to afluid state on to the underside of each said plastic inserts.

Another object is toprovide means for conveniently retrieving theejected adhesive which does not adhere to the underside of the foamedplastic inserts and returning the same to the reservoir forre-collection and ejection through the jet.

Another more specific object of the invention is to provide in a deviceused for inserting and attaching cushions to the bottom wall ofcontainers such as bottles, vials and the like, a carrier having meansfor releasably engaging the upper side of a cushion and which carrier ismovable to carry said means across one station to a further stationwhere said means is caused to release its hold on the cushion and tolocate it within a waiting container, said one station including a jetfrom which rises a fountain of heated adhesive in fluid form, and meansacting on said carrier for temporarily lowering said first means overthe fountain and immediately withdrawing the same so as to control thedeposit of heated adhesive on the underside of a cushion carried by saidmeans.

Thus one of the important features of the invention is that not only areeach of the cushions automatically coated on their underside with theheated adhesive before being positioned into the bottles, but the mannerand extent of depositing the adhesive on said underside of the cushionsis so enforced that the adhesive deposit occupies only the centralportion of the underside of the cushion and there is no adhesive at theedges of the cushion or on its sides which will smear the bottles intowhich it is discharged or will otherwise provide an unsightly orundesired effect.

Still another object of the invention is to provide in combination withsaid jet a reservoir for adhesive, delivery means connecting saidreservoir to the jet and by which adhesive from said reservoir may beforced out of said jet into the path of said carrier, collecting meansfor returning adhesive to the reservoir and means for maintaining theadhesive in a heated fluid stage whereby said station will comprise acontinuous fountain of free flowing heated adhesive.

Many other objects, advantages and/ or features of the invention willbe, or will become, apparent from the more specific description of oneembodiment of the invention which follows. It will, of course, beunderstood that many changes, modifications and/or variations in theparts of the device and steps of the method as hereinafter described maybe made without departing from the spirit of the invention and thataccordingly said description is not to be taken in a limiting sense butmerely as illustrative of the invention.

Referring more particularly to the drawings wherein views illustratingone embodiment of the invention are set forth and in which views likeparts are identified by like reference numerals:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of a device constructed inaccordance with the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken through the device alonglines 2-2 of FIGURE 1 looking in the direction indicated by the arrows;

FIGURE 3 is a partially fragmented vertical section taken through thedevice along lines 3-3 of FIGURE 2, details other than immediatelyadjacent the section line being omitted for clarity of presentation, andserving to show the adhesive applying means at station II as Well as theposition of the disc carrier relative thereto and also to show therelated position of the disc carrier immediately ahead of station IVwhere the disc loaded bottles are discharged from the device;

FIGURE 4 is a vertical section taken through the device along lines 4-4of FIGURE 2 also with details other than immediately adjacent thesection line omitted for clarity of presentation and serving toillustrate the means employed to discharge the disc from the carrieronto the bottom wall of a bottle;

FIGURE 5 is a vertical section taken through the device along lines 5--5of FIGURE 2, also with details other than immedaitely adjacent thesection line omitted for clarity of presentation and serving toillustrate the means employed to discharge the disc from the carrier;

FIGURE 6 represents in plan the two cam surfaces which control thereciprocal vertical movement of the disc carriers;

FIGURE 7 is a top plan view of the heated wax storage tank; and

FIGURE 8 is a side view partially in section of the wax applicatingmechanism.

Now referring particularly to FIGURES l, 2 and 3 a loading device 26 inwhich the invention is embodied includes a sleeve 21 rotatably mountedabout an upright shaft 22 rigidly fixed at one end to a suitablesupporting base 24 having a plurality of spaced legs 25. Ball bearings27 in suitable races are preferably provided on which the end of saidsleeve rotatably rests on said base 24. Spaced bearing sleeves 28 mayalso be provided between said shaft 22 and sleeve 21 to further reducefriction during rotation of the sleeve. Although any suitable means maybe utilized for rotating sleeve 21 about shaft 22, in said FIGURE 3 wehave shown a motor 31 supported by means 23 to legs 25 of the base 24.Mounted on the shaft of said motor 31 to turn therewith is a gear 26which intermeshes with a gear 32 mounted on a common shaft with gear 30which drivingly meshes with gear 29 fixedly secured about the lower endof said sleeve 21 to rotate the same on energizing of motor 31.

Fixedly secured about the upper portion of said sleeve 21 and rotatingtherewith are a plurality of radially extending arms 34 supporting attheir outboard ends an integral ring-like portion 35 having spacedopenings 37 in which are secured a plurality of vertically extendingguide rods 36 arranged thereabout in equidistantly spaced parallelrelation. On the underside of portion 35 is secured an annular plate 38having a toothed peripheral edge the use of which will be made moreclear hereinafter. The upper ends of said guide rods 36 extend throughsuitable openings 39 provided in annular portion 40 and secured theretoby means 43. Annular portion 40 constitutes an integral part of radiallyextending arms 41 which terminate at their inboard ends into an integralhub 42 mounted so as to be free to rotate about a sleeve 5i fixedlysecured to the upper end of shaft 22 by appropriate means and having abearing sleeve 51 therebetween to lessen the friction between saidsleeve and hub 42. Between said fixed sleeve 50 and rotatable sleeve 21are a pair of spacer sleeves 44 and 47 fixedly secured to said shaft 22,said sleeve 44 having a plurality of radially extending arms 45supporting on their outboard ends continuous wall 46 of varying heightand the upper end surface of which constitutes a fixed cam as will behereinafter more fully described. Said second sleeve 47 supports asecond cam surface bearing wall 48 (FIG. 5) by means of integrallyformed arms 49. This cam bearing wall 48 is however of more limitedextent and is located above cam wall 46 between stations III and IV andserves a purpose which will also be made more clear hereinafter.

Between each pair of guide rods 36 are located a first verticallyreciprocating slide member 52 and a second vertically reciprocatingmember 53 positioned thereabove, said members having their oppositesides shaped to partially surround the adjacent smooth cylindricalsurface of said rods 36 which serve as guide ways along which saidmembers 52 and 53 may travel.

As seen in FIGURES 1 and 3 slide member 52 has an outwardly projectingportion 54 supporting a vertical extending open-ended cylinder or sleeve56. Through said cylinder 56 is slidably arranged a rod secured to aforwardly projecting portion 71 of slide member 52. On the lower end ofsaid rod 55 is provided a disc pick up means which comprise threesharpened needlelike members 57 equidistantly spaced in the form of atriangle although any other arrangement and/or number of said members 57may be used. Rod 55 together with cylindrical sleeve 56 comprises acarrier for the discs C of foamed plastic which are to be adhesivelysecured in bottles B.

Reciprocal movement of said carriers 60 is under the control of said camWalls 46 and 48. Thus slide member 52 has a wheel or cam follower 58rotatably mounted on its rear side to follow along the upper edge of camwall 46 as sleeve 21 is rotated about shaft 22. Slide member 53 normallyrest on slide member so that vertical reciprocation of slide member 52in accordance with the height of cam wall 46 also serves tosimultaneously raise and lower member 53 whereby sleeve 56 and rod 55act together as a unit. However, slide member 53 also has a cam follower59 which engages the upper surface of cam wall 48 at one point in thetravel of the carriers about the periphery of the device 20 to permitmomentary raising of rod 55 independently of its cylinder 56 to separatethe discs from the pick up members 59 as will be made more clearhereinafter.

Secured to the underside of annular portion 35 which support guide rods36 is the aforementioned annulus 38 formed of Bakelite or other hardfibrous containing plastic material having spaced teeth dividing itsouter pe ripheral edge into equidistantly spaced equidimensionedrecesses 64. Said recesses 64 are sized to receive discs C and centerthem in aligned relation beneath carriers 60. Spaced beneath saidannulus 38 are a. pair of starwheels or annuli 62 and 63 supported inspaced relation by vertical members carried on the outboard ends ofradial arms 68 which are fixedly secured to gear member 29 and alsorotate with sleeve 21. Said :annuli 62 and 63 each have similarly spacedteeth dividing their outer peripheral edge into equidistantly spacedequidimensioned recess 65 and 66 and which are also centered relative tocarriers 60 but are also slightly larger size than recesses 62 inannulus 38 in order to engage bottles B and center the-m relative tocarriers 60 in order to receive discs C as will hereinafter be madeclear.

Referring now to FIGURE 2, the operation of said device will now bedescribed. A conveyor belt 70 is there shown drivingly connected bymeans not shown to motor 31 to move in a counter-clockwise direction andarranged so that the portion 70A which travels toward annulus 38 is on alevel just below annulus 38. On said portion 76A is located a supply ofdiscs which may be of a multicellular or foamed plastic such asStyrofoam to be fed into the receiving areas 64 of said annulus 38.Mounted on a side thereof of belt 70 is a wheel 67 rotating in acounter-clockwise direction so as to be in opposition to the movement ofthe belt 70 in order to prevent crowding of the discs C and whereby onlyone disc is positioned in each recess 64 of annulus 38 as it is moved ina counterclockwise direction across 'belt 70.

Referring now to FIGURE 6 it will be understood that cam 46 has asurface 72 of maximum height immediately ahead of station I. Therefore,as each of the carriers 60 approaches station I in its path about shaft22, its disc-pick-up members 57 are supported a substantial distaneeabove the annulus 38. However, as the carriers 60 approach station Iunder rotation of the device 26, its wheel 58 leaves the horizontalplane defined by cam surface 72 and each starts to descend along adeclining surface portion 73 of the cam 46. This has the effect ofcausing each carrier 60 to move in a downward direction as it travelsacross belt 70 and so as to force its needle-like members 57 into a discC caught in the receiving area 64 of toothed member 33 therebenea-th. Bythe time each carrier 60 has been moved by rotation of the device beyondthe belt 70, its downward travel will have been sufficient that the discC caught in the recess therebeneath is firmly secured to the carrier andwill move therewith oif table surface 75 which extends in the path ofsaid carrier beneath annulus 38 for a short distance beyond belt 70. Aflexible guide rail 74 may also be mounted on table 75 to temporarilyengage and hold the discs C within areas 64 between the teeth of member62 until members 57 of the carriers 60 have suflioiently penetrated thedisc C and whereby to assure that each disc C as caught by the carriers60 will also be essentially concentric with the axis of said carrier.

As the device continues to rotate, each carrier 60 with a disc C thusattached to its lower end by means 57 is moved to station II where anadhesive such as parafiin wax heated to a liquid form is applied to thebottom side of the disc C. Referring again to FIG. 6, it will be seenthat immediately beyond receding portion 73 of cam wall 46, there is anessentially horizontal portion 76 of the cam which corresponds to theportions of travel of carrier 60 as it moves off the table 75. Howeverthis is followed by a second declining portion 77 which terminates at alow point 7 8 on the cam and which is succeeded by a steep incline at79. These portions of the cam 46 so control the height of the discattached to the lower end of each carrier as it approaches station IIwhereby the discs 0 are each gradually lowered through areas 64 inmember 38 until directly over and into the continuously flowing fount ofwax indicated at 30. The extent of this downward travel is limited bylow point 78 in the cam wall 46. However the discs C are held in thefountain of Wax only momentarily and the disc is quickly withdrawn outof reach of the wax spray as wheel 58 starts to climb 79. This momentarylowering of the disc C into the wax and its rapid withdrawal therefrompermits an effective coating of wax to be deposited on the underside ofeach disc C but limits the deposit thereof so that the wax is appliedonly to the central region of the underside of the disc C and extendsneither to the outer periphery of its bottom side nor does it encroachonto the sides of the disc C. A drip pan may be provided at 126 toextend a short distance beyond the fountain 73 in order to catch any waxwhich may drip from the underside of the cushion C. Details of the waxfountain and the operation of mechanism at station II will behereinafter more fully described.

As the loading device 26 continues to rotate, disc C and its carrier 6!)follow a rising path as determined by portion 81 of cam 46 so as toagain locate the disc C above member 62. It is kept at said height bysurface 82 of cam 46 until the carrier 66 has passed beyond station III.As seen in FIGURE 2, at said station III, a plurality of bottles B arefed one at a time from a conveyor belt indicated generally at 83 ontothe table 24- of the device where they are caught between the spacedteeth of members 62 and 63 in the aligned areas 66 and 65 thereof. Asseen in FIGS. 2 and 4 each of the bottles is thus aligned with a carrier66 by recesses 66 and 65 of said annuli 62 and 63 and moved therebyacross table 24 as the device continues to rotate about shaft 22.Preferably a guard rail 84- is provided alongside table 24 betweenstations III and IV as a safety precaution against the possibility of abottle or bottles falling from device 20 as it is rotated and aligningmeans in the form of a rubber bumper or brush 84A may also be providedfor a short distance beyond station III which will resiliently engagethe bottles B to hold them in recesses 66 and 65 centered beneathcarriers 66 until said carriers have descended sufficiently to enterthrough the open mouth of said bottles as will now be described.

As each bottle C is thus moved along table 24 to station IV, camfollower 58 starts its downward path along receding surface 85 of camwall 46. This has the effect of lowering each of the carriers 66 withtheir discs C through the open mouth of the aligned bottles B until thediscs C reach the bottom thereof. The downward travel of the carriers65) then comes to a halt as follower 58 proceeds along horizontalportion 86 of the cam 46. Immediately above portion 86 is located thesecond cam wall 48 previously mentioned and which is now relied upon toseparate the discs C from their carriers 66 and permit their dischargeonto the bottom wall of the bottles B. This is accomplished by means ofearn follower 59 carried by slide member 53 which now engages theinclined surface 87 of said second cam 48 as seen in FIG. 6, and causesmember 53 to be raised from its position of rest on member 53. Thisdraws rod 55 upwardly through cylinder sleeve 56. However the lower endof cylinder sleeve 56, being of smaller internal diameter than thediameter of discs C prevents said disc from .liquid adhesive. whichconnects into pipe 104 at junction 109 to provide following the upwardmovement of rod 55. Disc C is therefore forced off needle-like portions57 of said rod 55 whereupon the disc is separated from the carrier 60.Because of the uneven character of the bottom wall of bottles that arecustomarily available, it has been found more desirable to have thecarrier 60 bring the disc C all the way down into the bottles B in orderto lightly press the adhesive undercoated disc against the bottom wallthereof. However, if desired the downward thrust of the carrier into thebottle may come short of said bottom wall and the effect of slide member53 engaging surface 87 of cam 48 then will be to discharge the disc fromthe carrier allowing it to fall the remaining short distance to thebottom of the bottle. Since the adhesive deposit on the underside ofdisc C is still in a heated soft stage when it is thus brought intocontact with the unheated bottom wall of the bottle, the adhesivespreads out slightly and the disc becomes bonded to said wall of thebottle as it further cools. The extent of surface 87 on cam wall is onlysufiicient to effect said discharge of the disc C. As cam follower 58 onmember 52 starts its upward path along inclined surface 89 of cam wall46, cam follower 59 once more becomes ineffective and slide member 53 isreturned to its position of rest on slide member 52 with its needle-likemembers 57 again protruding beneath the lower end of sleeve 56.

Inclination of surface 89 is so controlled that by the time the rod 55and its cooperating cylinder 56 which together constitute carrier 60have been rotated to station IV the carrier will have been withdrawnfrom the bottle B and located at a sutficient height thereabove that thebottle may be discharged from table 24 onto a second conveyor belt 90.For this purpose a portion of guide rail 91 (FIG. 2) extends into thepath through which the bottles are moved and between members 62 and 63so as to direct the bottles the tabte 24 at station IV and onto saidconveyor belt 90 which carries the bottles to subsequent stations forfilling. If desired, means in the form of a wheel 31A drivinglyconnected to motor 31 by means not shown may be provided which engagesthe bottles B as they are diverted by rail 91 to prevent jamming of thebottles at this point and more positive feed of the bottles off table 24and on to conveyor belt 90 which then carries them to a furtherprocessing station as for filling with frangible wafers. The carriers 60continue to rise under the direction of their cam followers 58 whichfollow portion 89 to the high level of portion 72 of cam wall 46 and a360 rotation of the device has been completed whereupon the describedoperations are repeated for each carrier as the device continues torotate.

The preferred means for applying the heated wax in liquid form to theunderside of the disc C will now be described. Referring first to FIGURE8 there is shown a main storage tank 92 mounted on legs 93 having anentrance in its top wall covered by a door 94 having a knob 95 andhinged as at 96. Tank 92 serves to store the main body of an adhesivesuch as paraffin wax which is kept in a heated liquid condition by meansof horizontally disposed heater elements 98 and vertical heating element97. Said elements 98 and 97 are controlled by a thermostat 99 adjustablycontrolled by means indicated generally at 100 to maintain a temperaturewithin tank 92 sufficient to keep the adhesive in a fluid or liquidstate. Where the adhesive comprises ordinary paraffin wax, 160 F. is agood working temperature. Within tank 92 is a pump 101 operated by amotor 102 which effectively draws the heated liquid adhesive from thebottom of storage tank 92 forcing it upwardly through pipe 103, 104 intopipe 105, thence to a pipe 106 which passes through block 107 andterminates in a jet or orifice 80 to pour forth the aforementionedfountain of A return pipe 108 is also provided a by-pass or return forliquid wax back to tank 92. In

said pipe 108 is a valve 110 which may be opened to control the backpressure of the adhesive as it is forced up pipes 104, 105 and 106 andthereby the height of the adhesive ejected through jet 73 under theforced pump 101. Excess adhesive from the fountain as well as thatdripping from the underside of the disc C are collected in theaforementioned drainage pan and returned to storage tank 92 throughdrain pipe 111 which parallels pipe 104 (FIG. 8), and leads intostrainer 112 so as to return unused wax through pipe 103 to storage area92. Strainer 112 serves as convenient means to catch any bits of theplastic discs C which may accidentally drop into trough 120 and ifallowed to enter tank 92 might eventually clog the system. Both pipe 104and return pipe 111 are arranged to pass through a block 114 providedwith a pair of spaced heating elements 116. A pair of heating elements117 are also preferably provided in block 107 on opposite sides of pipe106. Heating elements 116 and 117 may be thermostatically controlled byan adjustable thermostat switch 118 located in said block 107 or may becontrolled by setting of thermostat 99. Thus the whole course of theadhesive as it is forced from the tank and out through jet 80 as well asthe unused portion of the adhesive which drains back to the tank may bekept at a temperature where it will remain in a heated fluid stage so asto prevent congealing in the system and to assure free uninterruptedflow thereof through all parts of the pumping station. Preferably athermostat 116 is also located beneath pump 101 which controls a switchin the circuit of motor 102 to prevent operation of the pump 101 beforethe adhesive has been heated to a sufficiently fluid state.

If desired a guard shield 119 may be provided about the block 107 inorder to conceal and otherwise protect the heating elements 117 thereinfrom possible damage by adhesive vapor from fount 80.

It will of course be understood that many changes may be made in thespecific embodiment of the invention described and set forth above.Furthermore it will be understood that said embodiment is merelyillustrative of one form the invention may take, and that manyvariations and modifications are possible within the spirit thereof asdefined by the appended claims.

As will be now apparent, I have provided convenient, simple andpractical means whereby discs C may be automatically picked up bycarriers 60 of the described device and carried thereby across a jet orfountain of heated liquid adhesive such as wax at 80 for depositing thewax or other adhesive onto a limited area of their underside, thencecarried to a further station where bottles B are located beneath each ofthe thus adhesive coated discs and which discs may be then insertedthrough the open top of said bottles by means of their carriers 60 andthereafter discharged from the carrier 60 so as to become bonded to thebottom wall of said bottles upon cooling of the wax and whereupon thecarriers 60 are withdrawn from the bottles to permit the thusdisc-loaded bottles to be discharged at a further station where thefilling operation and subsequent steps in packaging can be carried out.

It is thus apparent that all of the objects of the invention as well asthe advantages thereof have been demonstrated as obtainable in aconvenient, simple and practical manner.

Having described our invention we claim:

1. In a device of the character described, means comprising a supportmovable along a fixed path, a carrier mounted on said support forreciprocal movement transversely of said path and including means forreleasably holding a member to be adhesive-coated, adhesive dispensingmeans located along said path and means causing said carrier tomomentarily move toward said dispensing means as it is brought intoalignment therewith and then to be withdrawn as it passes beyond saiddispensing means whereby a member held by said carrier will be 9 broughtinto close proximity therewith to receive a coating of adhesive.

2. A device of the character described comprising a rotary support, acarrier thereon adapted for reciprocating vertical movement, saidcarrier having means for releasably holding a member with its lowersurface exposed for coating with adhesive, a reservoir of heatedadhesive, pump means associated with said reservoir including a jetlocated at a station over which said carrier is moved by the support,means lowering said carrier at said station to momentarily bring theexposed side of a member held by said carrier into close proximity withthe jet and then raising said carrier to move the member away from thejet, and means for maintaining the adhesive in a heated fluid state asit is ejected by said pump means through said jet.

3. In a device for inserting and attaching a member to the bottom wallof containers such as bottles, vials and the like, a carrier havingmeans for releasably engaging a member to be inserted into a container,said carrier being movable to carry said means across one station to afurther station where said means is caused to release its hold on themember and to locate it within a waiting container, said first-mentionedstation including an opening from which rises a fountain of adhesive influid form, and means acting on said carrier for temporarily loweringsaid first means and member releasably supported thereby into thefountain and immediately withdrawing the same so as to provide a depositof adhesive on the underside of the member by which it may be secured tothe bottom wall of a container into which it is released at said furtherstation.

4. In a device for inserting and securing a member to the bottom wall ofcontainers such as vials, bottles and the like, a carrier for releasablyengaging a member and carrying it across one station to a furtherstation where said carrier releases the member into a container, saidfirst-mentioned station including a jet in line with the path ofmovement of said carrier, a reservoir for adhesive, delivery meansconnecting said reservoir to the jet and by which wax from saidreservoir may be forced out of said jet into the path of said carrier,collecting means for returning adhesive to the reservoir and means formaintaining the adhesive in a heated fluid stage whereby said stationwill comprise a continuous fountain of free flowing heated adhesive,said carrier having means associated therewith for temporarily loweringa member when carried thereby into said fountain and immediatelywithdrawing the same to deposit a layer of heated adhesive on theunderside of the member by which it may be secured to the bottom wall ofa container into which it is released at said further station.

5. In a device of the character described, means comprising ahorizontally movable support, a carrier mounted on said support forvertical reciprocal movement, means on the lower end of said carrier forreleasably holding an insert, adhesive dispensing means from which afountain of liquid adhesive is emitted, means actuating said support tomove said carrier in a path which passes over said dispensing means, andmeans causing said carrier to momentarily lower into positionimmediately over said dispensing means as it is moved into alignmenttherewith and then to be raised as it passes beyond said dispensingmeans whereby the bottom surface only of an insert carried thereby willbe brought into close proximity with said dispensing means to receive acoating of adhesive.

6. A device of the character described comprising a rotary support, aplurality of carriers mounted thereon for reciprocating verticalmovement, said carriers each having a sharpened portion on its lowerend, me for selectively feeding plastic inserts into a first stationover which said carriers are carried by rotation of said support, meanslowering each said carriers at said station so as to force the sharpenedportion thereof into an insert, a reservoir of fluid adhesive, pumpmeans associated therewith including a jet located at a second stationover which said carriers are moved, means lowering each said carrier atsaid second station to cause fluid adhe sive bubbling from the jet tocoat the underside of a plas tic insert carried by each said carriers, adraining trough for returning fluid adhesive back to the reservoir,means for feeding bottles one at a time into a third station over whichthe carriers are moved, means lowering the carriers at said thirdstation into the bottle and to dislodge the plastic insert onto thebottom of the bottle, means thereafter raising the carrier out of thebottle to its origi nal height for being moved again across said firststation, and means for removing the bottles from said support;

7. A device of the character described comprising a rotatable support, aplurality of carriers mounted about the periphery of said support andadapted for vertical reciprocal movement on said support, said carrierseach having a needle-like portion on its lower end, means forselectively feeding inserts into a first station over which each saidcarriers is guided by rotation of the support, means lowering each saidcarriers at said first station so as to force its needle-like portioninto an insert, a reservoir of heated adhesive, pump means including ajet located at a second station over which said carriers are guided asthe support continues to rotate, means for temporarily lowering eachsaid carriers just ahead of said second station to locate the insertinto close proximity on the jet when passing thereover and toimmediately raise said carriers as they are brought into alignment withsaid jet, said pump means serving to eject through said jet a coating ofheated adhesive onto the underside of the inserts carried by each saidcarriers, means for feeding bottles one at a time onto said support at athird station and into alignment beneath each of said carriers as it ismoved from said second station, means for thereafter lowering each saidcarriers to locate the adhesive-coated insert carried thereby throughthe bottles and to dislodge the same against the bottom of the saidbottles, means for raising the carriers to their original height afiterdislodgement of the insert, and means for removing the bottles from saidsupport.

8. In a process of packaging frangible waters or the like into a bottlethe steps which comprise, prior to the bottle being filled with saidwafers, momentarily bringing a disc of cushioning plastic into a sprayof heated fluid adhesive for a time interval sufficient to apply acoating of heated adhesive to the underside thereof, and while theadhesive coating is still warm, discharging disc into the bottle so thaton cooling the coating will bond the disc to the bottom wall of saidbottle.

9. In a process of packaging frangible wafers or the like into a bottlethe steps which comprise, prior to the bottle being filled with saidwafers, passing a disc of cushioning plastic across a spray of heatedfluid adhesive and momentarily lowering said disc into the fountain andimmediately withdrawing it so that a controlled quantity of heatedadhesive to a center portion only of its underside will be deposied and,while the deposit of adhesive is still warm, lodging the disc onto thebottom wall of the bottle so that on cooling the adhesive will bond thedisc to said bottom wall.

10. In a device of the character described, the combination of a bottlesupport, a spray of heated liquid adhesive, and means for carrying adisc of cushioning plastic into said spray to momentarily coat only theunderside thereof, said means being adapted to thereafter discharge thedisc into a bottle held on said support so that on cooling the coatingwill bond the disc to the bottom wall of the bottle.

11. In a device of the character described, means comprising a movablesupport, a carrier on said support mounted for reciprocationtransversely of the path in which said support moves and including meansfor releasably holding a member to be adhesively coated, ad-

hesive presenting means including a tank of adhesive in fluid form and ajet, located along said path through which said support moves, and meansmoving said carrier momentarily toward the adhesive presenting means asit is brought by the support into alignment therewith and then to bewithdrawn whereby a member held by said carrier may be broughttemporarily into cooperative relation with the adhesive presenting meansso as to be coated with a thickness of adhesive and means for directingadhesive from said tank out through the jet and out to an exposedsurface of a member held by the carrier when momentarily moved intoproximity with said jet.

12. In a device of the character described, means comprising a movablesupport, a carrier on said support mounted for reciprocationtransversely of the path in which said support moves and including meansfor releasably holding the member to be adhesively coated, a tank ofadhesive in heated fluid form, ajet through which adhesive from saidtank may be directed onto an exposed surface of a member held by thecarrier and moved thereby into the proximity of the jet, and heatingmeans for said jet and tank by which the adhesive is maintained in theheated fluid form, and means moving said carrier momentarily toward thejet as it is brought by the support into alignment therewith and then tobe withdrawn whereby a member held by said carrier may be broughttemporarily into cooperative relation with the jet so as to be coatedwith a thickness of adhesive.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS408,951 Bushnell Aug. 13, 1889 1,087,710 Bogdanfly Feb. 17, 19141,574,913 McManus Mar. 2, 1926 2,135,726 Mitchell Nov. 8, 1938 2,664,137Magnus Dec. 29, 1953 2,699,197 McLaughlin Jan. 11, 1955 2,703,130Wilckens Mar. 1, 1955 2,817,934 Dimond Dec. 31, 1957 2,860,464Bart-helemy Nov. 18, 1958

9. IN A PROCESS OF PACKAGING FRANGIBLE WAFERS OR THE LIKE INTO A BOTTLETHE STEPS WHICH COMPRISE, PRIOR TO THE BOTTLE BEING FILLED WITH SAIDWAFERS, PASSING A DISC OF CUSHIONING PLASTIC ACROSS A SPRAY OF HEATEDFLUID ADHESIVE AND MOMENTARILY LOWERING SAID DISC INTO THE FOUNTAIN ANDIMMEDIATELY WITHDRAWING IT SO THAT A CONTROLLED QUANTITY OF HEATEDADHESIVE TO A CENTER PORTION ONLY OF ITS UNDERSIDE WILL BE DEPOSITEDAND, WHILE THE DEPOSIT OF ADHESIVE IS STILL WARM LODGING THE DISC ONTOTHE BOTTOM WALL OF THE BOTTLE SO THAT ON COOLING THE ADHESIVE WILL BONDTHE DISC TO SAID BOTTOM WALL.